Coupling



Nov. 1, 1938. A. T. SCHEIWER 2,135,223

COUPLING Filed March 22, 1937 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR H/efi" rs fi l ATTORNEY.

Nov. 1, 1938.v

A. T. SCH EIWER 2,135,223

COUPLING Filed March 22, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 39 37 5 2 52 i M a INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented N 3 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE COUPLING Albert T. Scllciwer, Erie, Pa. Application March 22, 1937, Sci-15.1 No. 132,187 8 Claims. (01. 285-96) This invention relates to quickly detachable through the center of the coupling shown in couplings and more particularly to improvements Fig. 1.

in operation and construction of quickly detach- Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 able couplings. with the balls and sleeve in a locking position.

All couplings of this character made accord- 4 s a V w ken on t e ne of F 2 5 ing to the prior art, and with which I am familwith the balls and sleeve in an unlocked position. iar, have not been efllcient in sealing the water Fig. 5 is a s eievatiehal View P t y in or other fluids where both sealing efficiency and tion showing the 91 3 shoulder d n e quick attachability were required. Furthermore, sleeve in position secured to the shell y D the coupling had to be made in several parts ing or rolling operation instead of by threaded requiring considerable material and machine opmeans. erations. The length and diameter of the cou- 6 is a side elevatieilal View p y in pling was also considerable because of the sevtion showing a mod form of y novel q eral parts necessary in their construction. The 57 detachable Coupling Connected to a uc l5 assembly of the unit required considerable time W 31 male member integral therewithand the coupling became disassembled many is a s de elevational View P y in etimes when the hose to which it was attached ti n w n my vel m difi f rm f invenwas rolled around the lawn. Quickly detachable tion c n cted o a nven i n yp f t.

couplings have heretofore not been used for at- 8 is an enlarged View taken on the e taching garden hose because of the cost of manof $3 ufacture of these prior quickly detachable cou- 9 is a side elevational w p r ly n plings. tion of my novel coupling connecting two see- It is, accordingly, an object of my invention s o se to erto overcome the above defects in the present 10 is a d elevatienal View P y in type of coupling of t quickly t h b type section of the female member of my novel cou- 25 now on the market and m re particularly t pling member wherein hose clamps are attached provide a coupling which is simple in construcintegrally therewithtion, easy to operate, efficient in operation, easy Referring to e draWings, 1 shows a conto assemble and disassemble, economical in man- Ventionel yp faucet 5 having Connected t ufacture, and cheap i st, with a male member 2 of a coupling with the Another object of my inve ti i t provide usual washer interposed therebetween. The fea quickly detachable coupling hi l t male member 4 engages the male member 2 and separate except upon manual intervention. compri a short, Compact cylindrical shell 5 Another object of my invention is to provide having radially extending p u s 5 or t a seal for a quickly detachable coupling which disp sal f locking a ls t tt m p rt ns 3 permits quick attachment with a high degree of 8 0f the p es 6 being slight y restricted to sealing efl'iciency. prevent the balls 1 from falling therethrough. Another object of my invention is to provide A s v 9 h against rotation y a pr 0 a coupling which requires about one-half of the surrounds the shell 5 and it is Provided With 40 material and is much less in diameter and length grooved Portions to permit Outward mOVe- 40 for the same size of passage in the present; typg ment of the balls I, the sleeve 9 normally lockof coupling now on the mark t; ing the balls '1 in the grooved portion ll of Another object of my invention i to provide a the male member 2 to lock the male and female coupling with a minimum number of parts. members 2 d 4 together- Another object of my invention is to provide The male member 2 is Provided With a t p 45 a quickly detachable coupling having clamping po for engagement With the tapered D means integral therewith for hose connections. tiOn Of a ov l. D d s er M wh ch is Other objects of my invention will become evidisposed in a grooved portion IS in the shell 5. dent from the following detailed description, A small portion iii of the internal periphery of taken in conjunction with the accompanying the washer I4 is parallel with the outer wall I1 50 drawings, in which of the washer l4 so that when the liquid is Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partly in secforced between the outer and inner walls I! tion of my novel quickly detachable coupling and I 8, the inner wall l8 will be forced against connected to a faucet. the tapered portion l2 of the male member 2 and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken the straight portion I6 will be forced against its 55 contacting surface 3| on the male member 2, the result being a wedging action which provides a perfect seal. This form of washer l4 makes connection and disconnection of the male and female members 2 and 4 a very easy operation with a minimum of wear on, the washer and with a perfect sealing efficiency. The use of a tapered portion l2 on the male member 2 and the tapered portion l3 on the U-shaped washer permits the use of a coupling with a minimum external diameter in proportion to the size of the internal e. The small untapered portion IS on the internal periphery of the washer I4 is the secret of the sealing efficiency of this combination.

An annular member I! is threaded onto the end of the shell 5 to provide an abutting shoulder for the sleeve 3 and to permit easy assembly and disassembly of the female member 4. The annular member I! permits the female member 4 to be of a minimum length and diameter and with a one piece shell 5. It is evident that this annular member I! may be of a form shown in Fig. 5 wherein peening or rolling secures the member I! to the shell 5 rather than threaded means. This annular member is permitting a coupling of minimum size saves in material and manufacturing costs.

A connection 2| .may be threadably engaged to the threaded portion 22 of the shell 5 with a hose clamp 23 integral therewith the hose clamp 23 having claws 24 of varying lengths for gripping the external portion of a hose 25.

In making a connection between the male and female members 2 and 4, the sleeve 3 is rotated against the force of the spring 20 until the slots or grooved portions II are directly over the apertures 6 holding the balls I thereby permitting the balls 1 to move outwardly upon insertion of the male member 2 into the female member 4. When the groove ll onthemale member 2 is in line with the apertures 3, the sleeve 9 is released and the balls I are forced into engagement with the groove H on the male member 2 to secure the male and female members 2 and 4 together. The tapered portion l2 on the connecting portion of the male member 2 engages the tapered portion l3 of the washer l4 and the straight portion of the male member 2 forward of the tapered portion l3 engages the small straight portion l6 on the washer l4 to provide a perfect seal between the male and female members 2 and 4.

Figs. 6 and '1 show faucets 3| and 32 to which are connected a slightly modified form of coupling from that shown in Fig. l. The faucet 3| in Fig. 6 has a male connecting member 33 integral therewith and with a circumferential groove 34 and a tapered portion 35. The female member 36 comprises a compact cylindrical shell 31 having radial apertures 33 for receiving balls 39.

which engage the groove 34 on the male member 33 to secure the male'and female members 33 and 36 together. The apertures 38 are restricted slightly at the inner edges 40 to prevent the balls 31 to fall therethrough. A telescopically disposed sleeve 4| surrounds the shell 31 and holds the balls 39 in the groove 34 when the male and female members are connected together. A spring member 42 constantly urges the sleeve 4| into locking engagement with the balls 39 and against an annular shoulder 43 which is threadably engaged to the shell 31. The sleeve 4! is tapered at 44 to urge the balls 39 into the groove 34 of the male member 33 gradually upon its longitudinal movement under the force of the spring member 42.

The shell 31 has an internal groove 45 which receives a U-shaped washer 48 having a tapered portion 41 interlorly thereof for engaging the tapered portion 35 on the male member 33. A small portion 43 of the interior of the washer 46 is parallel with the outer wall 43 thereof in order to provide a better seal when the liquid is forced between the outer and inner walls 49 and 50 of the washer 43. The tapered portion 35 of the male member 33 recedes into a straight portion 60 to conform to the contour of the interior of the washer 46 to provide a perfect seal as well as a coupling with a minimum amount of obstruction when the male and female members thereof are connected together.

Hose clamps 5| having clamps 52 of varying lengths are formed integral with the female member 36 as shown particularly in Fig. 10. The claws 52 are easily forced into the hose connections as shown in Figs.'6, "I, and 9. The alter nate length of the claws 52 prevents the tearing of the hose and the breaking thereof at one point on the circumference. Hose clamps 5| are shown in Fig. 9 connected to both the male and female members 33 and 33.

It will be' evident from the foregoing description that I have provided a quickly attachable and detachable coupling whose external proportions are at a.minimum, whose construction is simple and cheap in cost, and whose operation is efllcient in respect to sealing efficiency and minimum obstruction and wear of parts.

It will be readily apparent that the leak-proof swivel featin'e of this invention prevents kinking and breaking of the hose. The tapered portion of the U-shaped washer and its engaging portion on the male member with their corresponding straight connecting portions makes the relative rotation of the male and female members very easy and this feature makes this type of hose connection very valuable especially when combined with the other features of this invention.

Various changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, or within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A coupling comprising a grooved male member having a tapered portion, and a female member comprising a shell, ball members disposed therein for engaging the groove in said male member to secure said male and female members together,- a sleeve surrounding said shell for normally holding said ball members in engagement with the said groove of said male member but permitting their release upon movement thereof, an annular member disposed on said shell for maintaining said sleeve in position on said shell, and an annular washer, U-shaped in cross-section, the internal wall of which is tapered and engageable with said tapered portion on said male member.

2. A coupling as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tapered portion of said male member recedes into a straight portion and the tapered portion of said U-shaped washerrecedes likewise into a straight portion to provide a wedging action when liquid enters between the walls of the U-shaped washer.

3. A coupling comprising a male member having a grooved connecting portion on one end thereof and means for clamping a hose on the other end thereof, and a female member comprising a cylindrical shell, ball members disposed in said shell to engage the groove in the connecting portion of said male member to connect said male and female members together, a sleeve for normally holding said ball members in engagement with said grooved portion on said male member but permitting release thereof upon movement of said sleeve, a washer for engagement with the connecting portion of said male member to provide a seal between said members, an annular member disposed on the end of said female member to hold said sleeve in place and clamping members on the other end of said female member for clamping a hose thereto, said clamping means having clamps of varying lengths.

4. A coupling comprising a grooved male member having a tapered portion and a straight end portion, and a female member comprising a shell, ball members disposed in said shell to engage the grooved portion of said male member to connect said male and female members together, an annular washer, U-shaped in cross-section, 8. portion of the internal wall of which is tapered and engageable with the tapered portion of said male member, the portion of said washer not tapered engaging the straight portion of said male member to provide-.2. sealbetween said male and female members, and an annular member disposed on said shell for holding said sleeve in position on said shell.

5. In a coupling, in combination, a grooved male member having a tapered portion and a straight end portion, and a female member for engagement with said male member comprising a cylindrical shell, balls disposed in said shell to engage the grooved portion of said male member to connect said male and female members together, an annular washer, U-shaped in crosssection, a. portion of the internal wall of which is tapered and engageable with the tapered portion on said male member and the remaining straight portion of the interior surface thereof disposed to engage the straight end portion of said male member to provide a wedging action when a liquid is forced between the walls of said U-shaped washer, and an annular member disposed on said shell for maintaining said sleeve in position on said shell.

6. A coupling as in claim 5 wherein clamping means are disposed on said shell of said female member to connect a hose thereto, said clamping means having clamps of varying lengths.

7. A coupling as in claim 5 wherein clamping means are disposed on said shell of said female member and also on said male member to clamp hose thereto, said clamping means having clamps of varying lengths."

8. A coupling comprising a grooved male member having a tapered portion, and a female member comprising a shell, members disposed therein for engaging the grooves in said male member to secure said male and female members together, a sleeve surrounding said shell for normally holding said members in engagement with said groove of said male member but permitting their release upon movement thereof, and an annular washer, U-shaped in cross-section, the internal wall of which is tapered and engageable with the tapered portion of said male member.

ALBERT T. SCHEIWER. 

